Char Siu is a very popular Cantonese Food, In most food market, you can find them cooked and hanged up on the Chinese style BBQ stall, you order by weight or price, the chef ( owner usually) will cut the required amount and chop them into bite size, wrap them in a few layers of paper, then of you go to bring home for dinner and serve with some rice and vegetable.
Char siu literally means "fork roasted" (siu being burn/roast and cha being fork, both noun and verb) after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire. It is sweet, sticky, char on the edge and super tender and juicy inside.
We are using Chicken in this recipes to make it easier to prepare and suitable for people don't prefer pork. but if you like it authentic , get a pork shoulder and cut them lengthwise into a few smaller fillet loin.
We will use the Shop Bought Char Siu Sauce here, which is already cooked with 5 spices, Fermented Bean Curd, Honey, and Hoisin Sauce. But to make it even better, we will add a few ingredients to get the taste perfectly right, try to cook with Chicken Thigh, Wings or Pork Neck, marinate them overnight to get the best result.
and make sure you have Shaoxing Wine into the marinate, it is a star ingredient here to give that amazing aroma and umami taste in the dish.
Ingredients:
Chicken Thigh or Breast 400g
Char Siu Sauce 1/2 jar ( around 150ml )
GInger Puree 1 tbsp
Garlic Puree 1 tbsp
Shaoxing Cooking Wine 2 tbsp
Dark Soy Sauce 1 1/2 tbsp
Ligt Soy Sauce 1 tbsp
Method:
If you want to cook it fast, cut the Chicken Breast lengthwise to make it quicker for cooking.
First mix all the sauce, pour it inside the bowl with all the chicken , marinate them overnight in the fridge.
In a hot grill, add 1 tbsp of oil, put in a few piece of chicken, cook until brown on the bottom, flip them and cover the grill with a lid, so the meat will cook faster but not dry out.
When both side are brown and cook until nearly done, brush with some more marinate, and let the sauce create more char and colour on the meat.
Take out from the grill and set aside, repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Slice and garish with some toasted sesame seed.
They are amazing with rice, or salad, any left over would be fantastic for sandwiches or wrap the next day,